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We’re a happy home for rescued animals – from whooping gibbons and cheeky capuchins to owls, meerkats and many more exotic creatures.
“We want every one of our visitors to have a wonderful time, with access to all the facilities that they need. That’s why Monkey Haven has full disabled access. Please contact us if you have any questions before you come or would like us to make any special arrangements for you. We are listed on Euan’s Guide and would be grateful if you would like to leave a review, too, or please get in touch with us directly with any comments about your visit.”
Your visit to The Award-Winning Isle of Wight Steam Railway will engage, inspire and excite you … The sight of powerful majestic steam engines, the charm of quiet rural stations, and the friendliness of traditionally uniformed staff, will leave you with some enduring memories of a special day out.
For the family and casual visitor, we offer a unique and exciting day out, as you step back to a bygone era when steam power was the order of the day. We are one of Britain’s Heritage Railways and a registered educational charity, but we’re also much more besides.
Let your imagination run wild as you start your very own adventure… You can fight pirates on-board your own ship, discover life sized moving dinosaurs, become a sheriff of your own town, and lock up the outlaws in jail, experience the magic of becoming a fairy princess in your own castle… or explore a sunken shipwreck in our newest theme world Underwater Kingdom.
Set on the cliff tops, with stunning sea-views, and filled with an eclectic mix of attractions, magical theme worlds and exciting rides, you’ll find something for all the family at Blackgang Chine.
Make magical family memories that will last for generations and start your adventure into the land of imagination today!
With some incredible day and night time experiences to be found throughout the season, Robin Hill Country Park is the perfect destination for visitors of all ages. Set in 88 acres of beautiful countryside, the park provides fun, adventure and great family experiences.
Offering a fantastic blend of rides, falconry and adventure play for fun loving families and children, and relaxing woodland gardens, ponds and walks for discerning adults to enjoy, there is something for everyone at Robin Hill.
Plus during every school holidays, we host extra fun and entertainment for all the family! Don’t miss the chance to join us for one of our spectacular ‘electric woods’ events, and see our ancient woodlands beautifully illuminated.
The Needles offers a range of attractions for all ages including unique chairlift, sand filling shop, adventure golf, open top bus rides, boat trips to the Needles rocks, a traditional family Carousel, Victorian games and a wide variety of retail and catering facilities. The artisan offerings of the Alum Bay Glass Studio and Isle of Wight Sweet Manufactory are based at The Needles and you can observe skilled craftsmen at work and have the opportunity to purchase gifts from the extensive showrooms on site.
A visit to The Needles would not be complete without a ride in the famous chairlift which transports visitors from the top of the cliff to Alum Bay beach and back, giving the best view of the Isle of Wight’s most famous landmark. Completing the line-up, guests can also immerse themselves in an interactive 4D Cinema experience showing a cutting edge Jurassic adventure.
The Island Riding centre is a fully insured, council-licensed equestrian centre and holiday complex based on the Isle of Wight (a couple of miles off the southern coast of England), and as well as being a kitemark approved RDA Centre and Pony Club Centre are also members of the Association of British Riding Schools.
The Isle of Wight has a strong tradition of horse riding. When the much-loved Brickfields Horse Country closed its doors in 2013 it marked the end of an era, having been the premier Isle of Wight horse riding centre for over 30 years. Picking up from where Brickfields left off, and tapping in to the Island’s popularity as a tourist destination, owners Paul and Louise decided on an equestrian complex combined with self-catering holiday accommodation, which would cater for everyone. Suitable for riders (and non-riders) both young and old, those with limited physical abilities, novice riders to experts we hope it will not only provide recreational fun, but also help development and – who knows – find the potential riding stars for the future!
Situated overlooking Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight, Brading Roman Villa is one of the finest Roman sites in the UK. Our award-winning Visitor Centre and Museum offer unique insights into Roman life in Britain from beautifully preserved mosaic floors to an extensive collection of Roman archaeology.
Tapnell Farm Park is the perfect place for indoor and outdoor fun, connecting with and learning about animals, and enjoying delicious food and snacks with some of the best views on the Island!
Meet the friendly group of animals, and get “hands-on” with Daily Activity sessions! Go wild on the many indoor and outdoor activities, which include a huge soft play zone, jumping pillow, pedal go-karts and lots more.
From pocket sized primates to powerful predators, the residents of The Isle of Wight Zoo, will charm and amaze you. The Zoo is based on Sandown Beach, Winner of BBC Countryfile Magazines 2019 Beach of the Year Award, which is on the east coast of the Island. Originally family-owned it recently became a registered Charity – The Wildheart Trust, which is dedicated to realising its global ambitions to make a meaningful impact on the health of the natural world while actively improving the well-being of animals in human care.
The Trust aims to promote the survival of endangered species through first class educational and recreational experiences, exemplary animal management, conservation and research. The Zoo is well known as a centre for rescued big cats, all have come to their forever homes at the Zoo at different stages of their lives and from a variety of backgrounds.
The Model Village is a 1/10th scale version of the village of Godshill and Shanklin Old Village and Chine, two of the oldest tourist areas on the Isle of Wight. You can find all of the houses, cottages, churches and pubs in real life for a proper Gulliver experience. The models are fantastic replicas of these real buildings, made with sand and cement so they weather as they age. They are even thatched just like the real thing using authentic materials and methods
There is the most detailed landscaped gardens on the Island with over 3,000 ornamental conifers and shrubs. Attention to detail is key to everything and many of the trees are coarse bonsai treated to maintain their scale with the buildings.
Mottistone Manor is a National Trust property in the village of Mottistone. It has popular gardens and is a listed building. It was first mentioned in documents related to the Domesday Book. A trip to Mottistone Gardens means you can make the most of the last lazy days of summer. The warm, sheltered location provides the perfect setting for flowers to blossom under the September and October sun which means that the gardens are still full of colour in late summer and early autumn, with many of the plants that flourished through the high season still blooming. Others, meanwhile, are starting to thrive as the new season arrives.
The home of Alfred, Lord Tennyson which has now been restored to its former glory with a beautiful walled garden. From 1853 until his death in 1892, Farringford was the main home of the renowned Victorian poet Alfred,Lord Tennyson. In this secluded spot on the Isle of Wight, the new Poet Laureate and his family sought a retreat from the clamour of London life. But while Farringford provided a tranquil domestic haven, it also attracted many of Tennyson’s eminent friends, becoming a focus of intellectual and artistic activity.
The quintessential romantic castle, Carisbrooke has been an Elizabethan artillery fortress, a king’s prison and a royal summer residence. Here you can meet the loveable donkeys and see them work, visit a fascinating museum and see the castle’s Edwardian garden. Experience far reaching panoramic and place yourself at the very heart of the Isle of Wight’s History.
Ventnor Botanic Garden boasts an impressive collection of over 30,000 rare and sub-tropical plants and trees. Spread across 22 acres of gardens, our plantings are based on geographical regions of the world. Ventnor Botanic Garden is located in the unique microclimate of the Ventnor Undercliff which is on average 5 degrees warmer than mainland UK –which really does make it Britain’s hottest garden! In fact there were 287 different plants in bloom on New Year’s Day 2016.
“It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot” said Queen Victoria of Osborne House, her palatial holiday home on the Isle of Wight. Visit Victoria and Albert’s private apartments, their bathing beach and children’s play-cottage for an intimate glimpse of royal family life. Then stroll through the garden terraces where the stunning views across the Solent reminded Prince Albert of the Bay of Naples.
Osborne reflects Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s passions, tastes and style. Ornate furnishings and artefacts from The Royal Collection fill rooms and corridors where Victoria entertained heads of state, inventors, princess and princesses and ruled the vast British Empire.
The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary has 97 donkeys and 26 ponies, all of whom are either rescued or abandoned. They are given a ‘forever home’ in 55 acres of countryside in the Wroxall valley where they get first class care and welfare. Over 50 volunteers support the staff at the Sanctuary to ensure that the donkeys ‘want for nothing’.
It acts as an education centre, providing learning and training for children, students, apprentices and volunteers. It is a visitor attraction in which people can meet the donkeys, interact with them, groom and walk them, or have a half days experience with the donkeys. The Sanctuary is a free entry, free parking site with a gift shop and a cafe. They survive because of the goodwill of supporters, visitors and people who adopt donkeys or buy products in our shop and cafe. It is not just what they do for their donkeys, but what their donkeys do for people!
The Quay Arts Centre is situated in a converted 19th-Century brewery warehouse complex at the head of the River Medina in the centre of Newport.
Refurbished in 1997 by award winning architect Tony Fretton, our facilities include three galleries, a 134-capacity theatre, a Crafts Council-listed gift shop and popular Café Bar with a reputation for serving some of the best home-cooked food on the Island.
The Museum has a display of around 20 historic vehicles, transport artefacts, displays, photographs, a tea bar and a shop.
Exhibits range from an 1880s Civility Stage Coach, a 1934 Dennis Ace, to more recent vehicles. There are examples of vehicles under restoration, many items of memorabilia, and a vast collection of photographs reflecting the heyday of the Island as a holiday destination.
Dinosaur Isle is a purpose-built dinosaur museum located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight in southern England. The museum was designed in the shape of a giant pterosaur and claims to be the first custom-built dinosaur museum in Europe. This prehistoric museum features educational fossil walks with displays of over 1000 of the best fossils, animatronic displays and even a working laboratory to view. There is a room set aside for learning sessions and full disabled access. The whole museum is filled with lights, sounds, smells and textures that all contribute to bringing the time of dinosaurs back to life!
The Isle of Wight’s most extensive collection of Maritime Heritage. The Shipwreck Centre & Maritime Museum was founded in 1978 and had been an ambition of the owner since he first started diving on shipwrecks off the Isle of Wight in the 1960s. A professional diver by trade the owner is very passionate about shipwrecks and maritime history, has amassed a huge collection of shipwreck artefacts over the years, but retained it all to put on display to the public.
Dimbola was the home of the celebrated Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. It is now a Museum and Gallery dedicated to her life and work, which also showcases contemporary exhibitions from photographers around the globe.
The Theatre is open all year round hosting a full programme of professional and amateur productions and has a seating capacity of 615.
We are situated next to the boating lake and the Ryde Esplanade Beach and are one of the only pools in the UK with a retractable roof – bringing sunshine right into your swimming session when the weather permits.